Dopaminergic Modulation of Cognition and Psychomotor Function
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2012-06-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
A recent study at our lab showed increased episodic memory consolidation and response
readiness after treatment with methylphenidate in healthy volunteers. The investigators seek
to replicate and extend these findings. Furthermore the pharmacological specificity of these
effects will be studied. Since methylphenidate has an effect on two neurotransmitters,
dopamine and noradrenaline, either could be responsible for the observed effects. In order to
explore the dopaminergic contribution to this effect, the study proposed here includes not
only methylphenidate but also levodopa/carbidopa, which only affects dopamine and not
noradrenaline.
In this study, 20 healthy males and females between 18 and 45 years of age will participate.
They will be recruited via advertisements at Maastricht University and in local newspapers.
Participants will be treated once with methylphenidate, once with levodopa/carbidopa and once
with placebo. All medications will be administered orally with a capsule.
It is hypothesized that methylphenidate and levodopa/carbidopa will both enhance episodic
memory consolidation and improve response readiness